I won't even lie, I was so excited for this book. I read Amanda's Trylle trilogy and then the Kanin Chronicles when I was in high school and adored all six of those books. I always hoped that one day she would revisit this world and these characters again and I was thrilled when I saw The Lost City on NetGalley. I've been reading this book for a month and I been finding every excuse not to go back and pick this up and it's because I'm bored. At about 30% into a fantasy novel you typically have a general idea of what the challenge in the story is going to be, your main characters and just a general gist of what was going on. The only thing I had was that this book was set in the Trylle world. The Lost City did have the potential to be an amazing read if it wasn't for the pacing and lack of information.

Book: The Lost City
Author: Amanda Hocking
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC.

I first discovered Amanda Hocking back in my university days and it was a complete accident. I needed something to read and Trylle was cheap. I had no idea that I was going to dive into a world that I love so much. I went on with The Kanin Chronicles, which still remain my favourite out of the arcs. It was great to dive back into this world and see little cameos of some of my favourite characters. No, I don’t believe you have to read the other books before reading this one; it just makes the world a little bit more richer if you do.

This follows Ulla, who is from the Omete tribe, which we really haven’t gotten to explore until now. She ventures out to discover herself, but to learn more about her parents, who she knows nothing about. This is more of a coming of age story than anything. We get to Ulla grow throughout the book, which is saying a lot, because this really isn’t a long book. We see her go from this unsecure and has no idea about where she wants to go to this confident and focused character. We see her determination shine through with the quest for her parents and to save those who she cares about. As you read, you discover that she has so many layers.

Even the side characters are well developed, complex, and have their own personalities. This is one thing that I have always loved about Amanda’s writing. She makes all of her characters matter and makes them all important. There isn’t a character in this book that doesn’t have some key part in the plot. I love this; it just shows us how much time and thought has been put into these books.

The world is amazing. I love all of the little details that are placed throughout the book that make this world so rich. We have a very complex system of government put into the place. While the magic is pretty simple, it still works for the world. I love how homey, yet dangerous, everything feels. I also love how it feels like everything is tied back to nature and how in touch that feels. We do get a lot of information about the world, but it’s not a way that makes it feel like info dumping. It fits and just feels right.

I also like how many moving parts there are. At times, it felt like it was too much for one book, but when I finished reading, it felt right. I love how Amanda was not afraid to go big in the opener. It left us with so many questions and will have readers reaching for the next book. Again, this is what I love about Amanda. She has that ability to hook you and make you want to see the rest of the series out.

Anyway, this book comes out on July 7, 2020. If you are a fan of the Trylle world, you must pick this up.

AH! I did not realize that this was going to be another trilogy. I definitely should have given that all her other books are. BUT, that being said, this book was a very promising start to the trilogy. I got to the last page and didn't want it to end. Now I'm frantically googling when the next one comes out.

Any fans of Amanda Hocking and her other Trylle/Kanin stories will enjoy this book. Also, if you are looking for a new YA fantasy series to read, start at the beginning of this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the copy to review!

Nineteen year old Ulla Tulin was abandoned as a baby by a mysterious woman with no clues to who she is or where she came from. Ulla gets an internship at the Mimirin in the Inhemsk Project; a program working to assimilate trolls of mixed blood back into society. The Mimirin is said to house the entire troll hierarchy where Ulla hopes to find answers about her heritage. Ulla's plans get derailed when she decides to help a mysterious young troll Eliana who is being pursued. Eliana has no memory of who she is but possesses unusual abilities atypical of any troll known. Ulla and her friend Pan find themselves in danger when they discover information about a city thought only to exist in folklore which may hold the key to Ulla's past.

The Lost City is the first novel in The Omte Origins, part of the Trylle saga. It had been awhile since I read the Trylle series and I had not read the Kanin chronicles prior to starting this new series. Although it is set in the world of Trylle and there are some characters from previous novels; I was able to navigate the story with very little difficulty. This first book in the series introduces Ulla, a troll of mixed Omte blood, who is hoping to find information about her birth parents and her heritage. Ulla attempts to help Eliana, which places her and her friends in danger when they discover information involving royal scandals, hidden cities, and secret societies which may hold the answers Ulla seeks. I enjoyed revisiting the world of Trylle and its diverse troll culture and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

If I’m being completely honest I was a little hesitant starting this book. In the most basic of basic explanations it is about trolls. Different clans of trolls. Who live in our world but within their own pockets. Now for this book we follow Ulla, the main character whose lineage is a mystery, and her adventure as she departs from all she knows into a city she hopes will answer her questions. Along the way we meet her companions for the novel and possibly the series while learning more about troll history and the clans.
I think this book is really well written and I think all the characters are well thought out and then the story itself is just really freaking entertaining. I did not expect to like this as much as I did and I am so excited to have found a new author that I truly enjoyed. I will absolutely be reading the next book and whatever follows in the series as well as giving her other books a shot too.

3.5 stars A YA fantasy set in a world already known to Hocking fans, but this is the first of her works I've read, so I can't compare. It's the story of Ulla, a part-troll woman who was abandoned as a baby and is now looking for information about her family and where she comes from. I thought the story was pretty original and a pleasant and easy read, but nothing really happened. The story seemed a bit shallow, like it was building up to something, but it never really did. Maybe in the sequel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Wow, it was so great to read these books! This is the last series in the troll world, and it's really delving into their history, and I enjoyed reading them both so much! We had a lot of big reveals, and there was one big surprise one that I'm not sure about, and neither are the characters, and I hope that we learn more, if it's right or wrong!

So we were introduced to Ulla in Crystal Kingdom, and I really enjoyed getting to know her more, meeting Pan, and watching their relationship bloom. And also dealing with Eliana and her internship, and trying to find out about her parents, there was a lot going on, and we learned a blot.

I did have a little bit of confusion, there's a few different a words that aren't in English, that are pretty important to the plot, and keeping them separate and knowing which one was which was a bit of a struggle, but there were definitions in the back, which was great.

That ending of The Morning Flower, it was just so freaking evil! We know what's going to happen, but we have no idea where the next book will start, and how things will go from there! I'm really excited to see how it's all going to end!

Loved reading these books, they were so great, and I'm super pumped for the 3rd and final book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Amanda Hocking as done it again! I have read, reread, and listened to the Trylle Trilogy several times and when I saw that she had three more books coming out in the Trylle world, I literally screamed with excitement! So, it's no surprise that I absolutely devoured The Lost City, The Omte Origins, which is a spin off to her Trylle trilogy.

This is a coming-of-age story in which the main character, Ulla, is seeking her true identity. Abandoned as a baby, Ulla doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. She is determined to find out about her past and to discover who her parents are as well.

Without giving too much away, Hocking does a wonderful job with Ulla's character arc. She also continues to blow me away with the rich world building. When I'm reading the books in this series/world, feel like the world of the Trylle is a real tangible place. I also learned a lot about the other Trylle tribes.

Overall, Hocking did a brilliant job! Once again, I'm left biting my nails and eagerly anticipating the next book in this series! Bravo!

P.S. Amanda Hocking is the author who inspired me to write my first book. I am honored to get an early look at this book and am excited to purchase it once it releases!

The Lost City was a bit of a struggle for me. This is not a stand alone novel! Most of the references to the Trylle left me scratching my head. Its been years since I read the Trylle series and this book does not explain things it thinks you should know as you go. I spent a lot of time playing catch-up to only discover that a whole list of troll tribes and a glossary of terms follow the story.. Ulla Tulin was abandoned as a baby and is now on a mission to find out who she is and why she was left. Winning an internship at the troll archives of genealogy, Ulla must work by day to search the archives at night. Along with one of the children she was a nanny to and a couple of new friends, Ulla finds a mysterious young girl with memory problems. A little flirtation and a whole lot of research later, Ulla and friends find a little danger and mystery in a story that seems to be an introduction to a series. If this was a comic it would be issue#0 for the prologue like feel to the story. The first half of the book was pretty slow like maybe I would give two stars but with a surprisingly good ending for four stars. An average of three stars would have me coming back to check out the next book in the series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Ulla takes an internship to try to find who her mom is years after she was left as a baby.
I don't really remember the tryll series. I feel like if I read those before this it would have been better.
Also why is this called the lost city when there isn't a city that is lost? And what is with the one girl that pops up. Her story seems more interesting than ullas.

Amanda Hocking is an excellent writer who returns back to one of her more popular series that I have been dying to seen continued. Her characters are interesting, her plot right and her writing on point. I highly recommend all her books.

It was fun being back in the Tryll world again. Just As those book came out years ago I remember them a little bit but not much. Which works out if you have never read them you won't be lost reading this book. It was great to see Finn again, yes I remembered him. Ulla is an interesting person who is trying to find out where she comes from. This was a good book to get back into the trolls world and also to start Ulla's new direction in her life. I really do look forward to seeing where Ulla and Pan and everyone else go next. I am really curious about The Lost City.

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Thank you Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press for giving me access to this book to read and review on a voluntary basis. This in no way sways my opinion, all thoughts are my own

First, I would like to say that I have not read the original stories connected with this spin-off. Secondly, I don't think that impacted my reading experience in regards to the story line. I was able to just jump into the story and figure things out as I can do most of the time with YA books. This was a quick, fast paced read, and I loved that I was able to complete this book essentially in one sitting.

I loved Ulla. I felt very connected with her and her goals as I would do the same things she would in her position. I think that it is very realistic that she wants to find out who she is and why and get more answers about her parents. The other character I enjoyed was Pan. I really feel like he was well developed and easily likable. There is a magic system within this book and I want to continue to explore that. I do believe that this book sets groundwork for future novels, in which I will be requesting the next book to read. There are quite a few questions I have but I don't want to say too much to spoil - I am hoping book 2 and 3 answer them for me so I can discuss this series as a whole!

Rating this book as if I were 14, I truly think I would become immersed in this world and want to go back and read the original stories based on this world. The Lost City is available for purchase on July 7, 2020 and the second is releasing in August! You can preorder now!

This is my first Amanda Hocking book, but I'm not really a stranger to this author. I've seen some of her works every time I go to the bookstore, and I know for a fact that she has a lot of published works out. Seeing as this was about trolls, I decided to give it a shot.

I found the setting quite fascinating initially. It's basically Harry Potter-ish, as in there's the human world, and hidden in our world where the ordinary humans can't reach, are the different kingdoms of the Trolls. Each tribe has their own distinct appearances but while I found the notion of having a hidden world in our world appealing, I was quite bummed to know that they weren't really all that different to humans.

Anyhow, I enjoyed the world and the references to Scandinavian folklore. But the story and the characters fell a bit flat. I liked bits and pieces of it, but I would have liked to see a longer, further developed story.

But there were quite a few interesting pieces, and I did feel like I wanted to find out more the more I read. So even though I wasn't wowed completely, I do want to continue reading this series. Just to understand what's going on.

#netgalley #thelostcity

I just couldn't get into this book, I am an avid reader and this book just didn't pull me in. I will give it a rest and come back to it later.

I like Amanda Hocking books. I felt this book was good but not in the category of great. It felt like she was just setting a foundation for the sequels.
However, I still enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This was a great spin off set in the same world as Trylle and I could not put this one down. The writing was just so perfect and beautiful that I am really glad that I have book two right now. I know that I will suck these things down one right after the other. These are for any fan of the original series!!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-Arc. Will read more from this author in the future. See star rating for my review.

ARC from NetGalley

I read these in the wrong order, reading the second one first, so I wasn't stoked to read this, but I said I would, so I did.

This was an okay read. The troll thing is interesting. Ulla is a decent character. She isn't irritating, but she doesn't really have a lot of personality. The Eliana mystery was interesting, but it isn't resolved in this book, and because I read the next book I know it wasn't resolved in that one either. I like my books to have a bit more action, a bit more activity. I felt like throughout this whole book, nothing really happened, and we don't really learn a whole lot about the trolls, their powers, their politics. Hocking isn't a bad writer. I think that she could write something I really enjoyed if she put a bit more effort into plotting and ensuring the reader is getting something for their investment of time, you know?

Originally I did not manage to finish this novel as it was quite heavy and started off with a lot of information. But, I returned to it and found that the tale was intriguing and that the characters were vividly drawn. The start was still heavy but I presume that is because I haven’t read any others of Amanda Hocking’s series set in this world and I am considering reading them so that I can understand this story better.